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Storming to Top 8: Jupiter Games Invitational Weekend [DUAL REPORT]

This tournament report really starts here where I began to qualify for this event. After this I top 8’d Grand Prix Columbus but because of college I've barely been able to play and when I have played a few times, I've been cold. Luckily I graduated with enough time for playing and testing to get back into nerd shape, just in time for Grand Prix Providence. I day two'd, but lost my first round day two and it was a downhill fall after that,however, Providence did end my cold streak. It made me realize I wanted to put Meltdown back into my sideboard. Which leads me to my current list...

Game One: I open with Duress, Lotus Petal, Polluted Delta, Gemstone Mine, 2x Lion’s Eye Diamond, Infernal Tutor. I won the die roll and put Dave on New Horizons (I guess I don’t play enough or else I would’ve known he was playing Zoo), I lead off with Fetch, Underground Sea, Duress, and look at a hand full of dorks and a Lightning Bolt. He plays Steppe Lynx, I play Ad Nauseam.

Game Two: I keep an awkward hand of Scalding Tarn, City of Brass, Gemstone Mine, Burning Wish, Burning Wish, Ponder, Dark Ritual. He plays a dude, I ponder into mana. He plays a dude swings, I wish for Tendrils, because I don’t want to lose to R.E.B on my Returns. He plays a dude and swings, but doesn’t have a red source. I play draw go, he brings me to 11, I am a storm short of killing him. Worse case scenario is that he draws a fetch for landfall and bolts me to 1 and City is dead. He plays Blood Moon instead (it turns out he had Chain), at this point I look at my hand of Lotus Petal, Rite, Rite, Burning Wish, Tendrils. I draw a Lotus Petal, play out my hand, Burning Wish for Grapeshot,Grapeshot, Tendrils of Agony.

Playing against Will is always fun, we’ve grown up playing in competitive events since we were pretty young and used to use MWS all the time to test. However, I’ve always had his number. I think he’s beaten me once and it was in 2006. This round is no different.

Game One: I play a turn one Brainstorm into Empty the Warrens and Dark Ritual. Next turn I Dark Ritual, he missteps, I play, Rite of Flame, Rite of Flame, Empty the Warrens. He plays Goyf, I swing, he goes to 9, he swings, plays Natural Order, I swing, but Have enough mana to Tutor for either Tendrils or Burning Wish for Grapeshot (which is what I was going to do)

Sideboarding: -1 Empty the Warrens, -1 Ponder, +2 Pyroblast

Game Two: Will Mulligans and says go. No land, nothing. I had kept, Brainstorm, Ponder, Bloodstained Mire, City of Brass, Chrome Mox, Rite of Flame, Tendrils of Agony. I draw Dark Ritual and decide I’m not going to shuffle back Tendrils, I’m going to fucking use his ass for storm. I play fetch, go. He draws a land, plays Hierarch, I draw go for a few turns, I ponder in this time, he plays another Hierarch and starts attacking. I decide it’s time to win, I Brainstorm. I put back two tutors, and glance at my hand of 6 spells that all create mana, Infernal Tutor, and Tendrils. Play out my mana, he initially tries to stop it with a Misstep and something else, then realizes all I have is mana and starts to let it resolve. I play Infernal, he debates with three cards in hand, I eventually get a second copy of Dark Ritual, he says show me the Tendrils or Tutor, I refuse. I play my Rituals, both resolve, Tendrils him. I wasn’t sure if he had a trick or not, I also thought he could’ve been overly excited to Stifle it. He reveals his hand of two Force of Will and Clique.

3-0

Round Four: Dan Rae with CawBlade

Game One: I play a turn two Burning Wish for Returns, he plays a turn two Stoneforge. I draw a Chant, I decide I wanna wait a few turns until I have the mana to Chant + Returns floating one. He drops Batterskull and beats up to 21, I end up casting Returns and start storming but end up one storm short, I ponder for the storm hoping to replace the one mana I needed in order to win. I don’t see it, I scoop.

Game Two: I just go for it turn three, he misstepped a Swarm turn 2, and I’m thinking because Infernal resolved with exactly five floating he’s going to Daze me. I decide to Warrens for 16. He plays Deed and blows me out. He doesn’t play Daze. Fuck me.

3-2

Round Six: Nick Patnode with Bloodbraid RUG

Game One: A duress and take a force leaving him with not much, he plays a goyf, swings the next turn, on my turn I play Duress, Rite, Ritual, Ad Nauseam.

Sideboarding: -1 Empty the Warrens, -1 Chrome Mox, +2 Xantid Swarm

Game Two: I play a Xantid, it gets Fire/Iced. I chant on turn 2 and play Lion’s Eye Diamond, Dark Ritual, Lotus Petal, Rite of Flame, Infernal Tutor.

4-2

Round Seven: Josh Cicio

Game One: I play a Turn two Duress, followed by Rite, Ritual, Ad Nauseam.

Game Two: Pretty much the same thing as game one except I drew 2x Xantid Swarm.

5-2

Will and I did some math and it was a guarantee I was in, however, we were unsure about him. He made it also, we shared a terrible jumping five. It was totally worth it though. He also informs me that Dan Rae doesn’t have Force in his deck which really pissed me off considering I was playing like he did.

Top Eight: Dan Rae with Cawblade

Game One: I get an opener of 2x Chrome Mox, Lion’s Eye Diamond, a Duress, and lands. I Ship it back, no mana, down to five… Xantid, Lion’s Eye Diamond, 3 lands. Keep. Xantid Resolves. I swing for three turns waiting to draw business, it doesn’t happen and Batterskull comes down, He Draws swords, batterskull beats. I eventually die without drawing anything but mana.

Game Two: I keep a decent hand, but Dan’s hand is just better, He has Stoneforge turn 2, turn 3 Clique, Batterskull with enough soft counters to slow me down until he wins.

5-3

I end up winning a Mox Ruby and sell it back to the store, I have enough for three Tropical Islands, but I want four so I end up selling my Korean Ill-Gotten Gains and a Delta plus a little cash and end up with four Tropicals. After this I enjoy the ride home with Adam and decide that I’m exhausted from having to play against so many blue decks and missteps. I decide I’m going to pilot a different deck the next day. But I’ll worry about it in the morning.

I end up going out to the bars and don’t get home until four after some Denny’s. Although, I’m up at 7:30 for the event and still a little bit drunk. I get in the car with Barnello and we start talking (we always have great conversations) and it comes to the Friday Night Lights soundtrack, which turns into…what are your three favorite sports movies? He lists his three as Rudy, the Sandlot, Field of Dreams, with Drumline with a close forth. I’m shocked there’s no Remember the Titans! Mine go, Field of Dreams, Remember the Titans, Friday Night Lights, with the Sandlot coming in forth. With him changing the music to Straylight Run, a band I haven’t heard of which might be up my alley. They we’re VERY good, I downloaded their discography the second I got home.

I begin to decide what to play, I own T.E.S, Merfolk, Dredge, and Affinity. Adam and I talk and decide that Merfolk is the call even though Damon did well the previous day. I begin to work on my deck in the car cutting Standstills and adding maindeck Jitte and SpellPierce. I could’ve played a forth Corelhelm Commander, but I don’t own one or have the desire to acquire one. In hindsight, I should’ve put more time into it. I was only running 19 lands, which afterwards I moved up to Twenty by cutting a Daze. I end up going through my Binder for sideboard cards, but don’t think that I need to look at black cards and end up forgetting Dismembers.

Game One: He leads off with Plains go, I play Island, Vial. Heads begin to turn around me. He plays Karakas, stoneforge. For some awful reason I put him on White Weenie or Death and Taxes. I waste his Karakas. He plays Tropical and that’s the last land he plays the rest of the game. I begin to drop 2 Silvergils and a Lord of Atlantis, a Reejerey a few turns later and seal the deal.

Game Two: He plays turn one Zenith for Arbor, I play Curse Catcher, he plays Hierach, swing two, I play Silvergil, swing back. He plays Thrun. I drop Corelhelm and the race is on. I Daze and misstep his removal spells. I level up and the ballgame is now him at 8, me at 11 after dropping a Lord of Atlantis. He does the math and figures out no matter what he does I have lethal.

1-0

Round Two: Matt with T.E.S

Game One: I keep a hand of lands and dudes, luckily two of the dudes are curse catchers. I draw Vial and play it after his City, Brainstorm. I beat and drop some dudes over a few turns, he plays Empty The Warrens for 16 using my Daze for storm. On my turn I vial In Reejerey, play Lord of Atlantis, untap vial, drop Sovereign. Swing with three huge dorks. He blocks with enough to kill the dorks. My dudes end up getting there.

Game Two: I end up with a hand of Force, Force, Misstep, Lord of Atlantis, Daze, Spellpierce on my turn three when he’s trying to win. He duress’ me, then again the following turn, followed up by a Silence, I try to make him spend some mana. It doesn’t matter as the last three cards in his hand are 2x LED and Infernal.

Game Three: I keep a pretty weak hand due to spellpiece and wasteland with a bunch of dorks, I draw Daze for my first draw. I waste his land, pass. He draws another, I play a lord, then another, he attempts to of. I Pierce his silence, and Daze. Once again, he has Ritual, LED, Infernal as the last few, and casts Ad Nauseam. Fuck my deck is good.

1-1

Round Three: Zach with UWR Stoneforge

Game One: My life total doesn’t change this game because I open 2x wasteland and islands with threats. OH HOW GOOD IT FEELS TO BE THE FUCKEE WITH WASTELAND, NOT THE FUCKED.

Game Two: He fetches for Basics, turn two Stoneforge for Sword of Fire/Ice, I needle it. At this point I have played, Turn one Vial, Turn two Vial, Cursecatcher, Needle. He drops EE for one. Drops the sword off of Stoneforge EOT, the following turn and swings. Hits me because 2x Lords get by Sword. I draw another needle, swing. He plays a jitte and equips his stoneforge. Kills a lord, I needle jitte. He has no response. I then play a reejerey pumping my Lord of Atlantis and Corelhelm to deal him exactly enough.

2-1

Round Four: Alix Hatfield with UGW Knightstill?

Game One: I do that thing Merfolk does with the dudes and tempo with counters and wastelands.

Game Two: He plays a knight and gets a Maze and has a couple factories, I have about 4-5 dudes in play in our crucial turn, I have 3x Daze in hand and only see two untapped so I Dazex3 times forgetting about Knight. All dudes die. But more importantly, I fucked up with Back to Basics a few turns prior playing it when he had no untapped lands. Thinking he’d Counterspell it, not Force it. It didn’t go my way.

Game Three: I do that thing Merfolk does with the dudes and tempo with counters and wastelands again. But he has 2x Factory and Maze this game with a Tundra and Savannah. He’s trying to get to Wrath mana around my Cursecatcher, I have lethal on the board, I untap, during my upkeep he plays Swords and Path on my Lord of Atlantis and Reejerey, Storm two. Leaving me with a Cursecatcher and a Silvergil Adept. He has the colorless lands untapped. I draw Back to Basics when Alix has an empty hand. It eventually seals me the game.

3-1

Round Five: Mike with Zoo

Game One: I know he’s playing Zoo, I’m not happy about it. I keep a hand of Island, Cursecatcher, 2x lord of Atlantis, 2x Silvergil Adept, Rejeerey. Maybe I should’ve mulliganed, but if I draw a land that’s a solid fucking hand against Zoo. I don’t see my second land until turn 3, I’m out tempo’d by then.

Sideboarding: -2 Spellpierce, -1 Silvergil Adept, +3 Submerge

Game Two: I keep a hand of 2x wasteland, Island, Jitte, 2x Submerge, Lord of Atlantis, I wasteland him out, start a clock, by the time he draws a land for threats, I Daze, and submerge them all.

Game Three: I keep a hand of Wasteland, Submerge, Sovereign, 3x island, Daze. I wasteland his Taiga. He plays a plateau, I daze his dude. He plays another threat, but never another forest. He drew two Horizon Canopy and casts dudes off of them. I never catch up by the time I can cast things.

3-2

Round Six: Norm with BUGStill
Game One: I do that thing Merfolk does with the dudes and tempo with counters and wastelands. All he plays that game are two lands, one of them being a Sea and a Spellsnare. I put him on BUGStill. I was right.

Sideboarding: I don’t bother

Game Two: Same thing pretty much except I counter his turn three Deed with a Daze and Wasteland his Underground.

4-2

Round Seven: Alex Bertoncinni with RUG

Game One: I have a Cursecatcher, Silvergil, Reejerey, and Sovereign against 2x Goyfs, 2x Hierarch, and an arbor. However, He’s low on life. He swings with Goyfs, if I make a dude unblockable and swing I can’t win. I need to draw a dude or he needs to lose two dudes. He plays Zenith tapping a Hierarch for 2. I daze, if he fetches he loses because he’s at 5, 4 would make Sovereign’s ability kill him. I untap and swing out for the victory.

Sideboarding: - 2 Daze, -1 Silvergil Adept, +3 Submerge

Game Two: He’s low on lands, but has an active Lavamancer and Hierarch. I Submerge the Lavamancer, and drop a Rejeerey, he replays, I play a Lord of Atlantis and Swing. Keep on dropping threats, submerge the Lavadude again, more threats and eventually get there.

5-2

I end up coming in 11th or 12th and decide to get 75$ credit so I can spend 14$ for a Tundra. Not a bad weekend.

This was a really long report to write, I’m not writing anything else. Hope You enjoyed it.

Game One: I keep a hand of lands and dudes, luckily two of the dudes are curse catchers. I draw Vial and play it after his City, Brainstorm. I beat and drop some dudes over a few turns, he plays Empty The Warrens for 16 using my Daze for storm. On my turn I vial In Reejerey, play Lord of Atlantis, untap vial, drop Sovereign. Swing with three huge dorks. He blocks with enough to kill the dorks. My dudes end up getting there.

I tried to find a different action spell, but the only thing that showed up was the empty. Rejerrey is too good at turning folk into a combo deck for me to race.

I was a pretty avid Ad Naus player up until Mystical Tutor got the ax. I switched over to control, but have been slowly warming up to TES. I just whipped the list up on MWS and it's kick ass. Congrats on the finishes.

Originally Posted by Sims

On a more constructive note: Anything can be funny, even if it is about rape.

Grats on the finish man. How many times have we played since that 2006 match? I remember the classroom top eight in Geneseo and this last one, but I feel like there have been others that I don't recall.

I dunno, man. Have you even seen Rudy? I am not ashamed to admit that I cry every.single.time. I watch that movie. Same thing for Field of Dreams. Maybe you just have no soul.

Or maybe the idea of rolling around in the dirt with all of those firm, young boys from The Sandlot causes errors in Edinger's reason.

Originally Posted by MacGruber

Look, I will suck your dick. I will suck your fucking dick. I will do it, just join my team. Iíll suck your dick. You can fuck me or get fucked by me. You can watch me fuck something. Just point at something, Iíll fuck it for you. Just tell me what you want me to fuck!